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Voracious Bub!

Hello,

I am aware that one of the signs of hunger is the bub is sucking on his fists; but I don't seem to understand that after feasting from both breasts my son is still sucking on his fists. Is he that hungry?! Is my milk not enough? I am beginning to doubt my supply.

I have a few thoughts on your post. The first is that I think you said in a previous post that your son is around 4 months old. At this age a growth spurt is common. When a breastfed baby goes through a growth spurt they need to feed more frequently (and will show the 'hunger cues') more often in order to raise your breastmilk supply. This normally only lasts for 3-4 days.

Secondly, I wondered if he might be starting to teeth. The average age for a first tooth to come through is 6 months, and many babies do first have a tooth appearing at 4-5 months. A common sign of teething is sucking and chewing on the hands.

Is your son showing any other signs that he is hungry? If he is generally happy and putting on weight ok then it is very unlikely that your milk supply has suddenly become not enough for him. At this age you should still feed him on demand in the day and night to ensure you maintain a good milk supply.

If he is gaining weight well and filling his nappy regularly then I really would not be concerned.

Is he generally happy?

Another reason babies put their hands (and other objects) in their mouths at this age is because it is their way of exploring the world in a new way.

Actually babies start to grow the tooth around 4 weeks before it cuts through the gum. This growing of the tooth is actually thought to be more uncomfortable to the baby than the breaking through of the tooth.

But whatever the reason I would not be concerned if he is gaining weight well, pooing and weeing regularly and generally happy.

Yes my bub is happy and very active; but if my son is really into exploring his world through his hands, shall I let him suck on his fists as long as he wants? I am worried he may keep the habit until he grows older; plus the drool is beginning to irritate his skin, rashes are beginning to develop.

Most children stop this way of exploring things once they are able to explore in other ways (through crawling and with fine motor skills etc). Drooling is often a sign of teething. If the rashes are on his neck you could use a bib or similar to catch most of the drool.

Yes as experienced, it is very difficult to stop my bub from sucking his fists! Oh well, I guess I just have to wait for this phase to pass. As long as he breastfeeds well, I don't think this should be a problem.

Thank you, LJ, for taking your time to reply to this post. This was very helpful.